Electric clock.



PATENTED JULY 21, 1903.,

H. R'EMPB ELECTRIC GLQGK. APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1902.

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No. 734,366. PATENTED JULY 21, 1903. H. REMPE.

ELECTRIC CLOCK.

AI PLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1902. N0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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H. REMPE.

' ELECTRIC CLOCK.

APPLIOIAITIQN FILED JULY 2. 1902.

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v,No. 734,366. 'PATENTED .T-UiLY 21, 1903.

H. REMPE. ELECTRIC CLOCK.

APPEIGAIION FILED JULIE, 1902.

'80 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented July 21,

HENRY REMPE, OF DANVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELEGTRI'VIC CLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 734,366, dated July 21, 1903.

Application filed July 2 1902. Serial lie-11 L087. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY REMPE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dan ville, in the county of Montour, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Clocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprises improvements in electrically-operated winding and striking mechanism for clocks, the details of which will be pointed out in the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1' is a front elevation of the working portions of the clock. Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views showing the striking mechanism in different positions. Fig. {L is a top plan view showing .the striking mechanism. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the winding mechanism. Fig. (i is a section on the line A A of Fig. 5, some of the parts being omitted and the dashpot being shown in central section. Fig. 7 is a similar view on the line B B of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a side view showing the shaft or arbor which carries the minute-hand and the stud for supporting the mainspring, the parts upon said shaft and stud being shown partlyin section and partly broken away. Figs. 9

- and 10 are perspective views showing opposite sides of the commutator by which the electric circuit through the winding-magnets is made and broken, and Fig. 11 is a plan view showing the magnets and commutator and also the electrical connections.

Referring to Figs. 1 to l, inclusive, of the drawings, which illustrate in detail the striking mechanism, 1 indicates a pair of electromagnets, carried upon a suitable support'between the side frames 2. These electromag: nets when energized attract an armature 3, which armature is retracted by a spring 4 when the magnets are deenergized. The armature 3 is mounted upon a rock-shaft 5, to

which is attached the hammer 6, which latter is adapted to strike the hell or gong 7 when the armature is attracted by the magnet, The upward or return movement of the ar mature is retarded by a piston 8, operating within a dash-pot 9 and connected by a piston-rod 10 to an arm 11, which latter is connected to the armature 3. The piston-rod 10 is provided with a conical head 12 at its lower end, which fits within and closes a port in the piston when the latteris drawn upward,thereby preventing the entrance of air through said port to the dash-pot and causing the upward movement of the armature to be retarded. When the armature is drawn downward by the magnet, however, the conical head upon the piston-rod moves downwardly, thus opening the port in the piston, and the piston and armature are then free to move rapidly downward, the piston being engaged by a pin 13 upon the piston-rod and carried downward thereby. The bell-hammer is thus given a quick movementtoward the bell and a slow return movement to provide short intervals of time between successive strokes of the bell. As will be hereinafter explained, the circuit through the magnet is interrupted while the armature is moving toward the magnet and remains broken until the armature returns to its normal position. The number of strokes of the bell is regulated by a stepped regulating-disk 14, mounted upon the cannon-pinion of the clock, and a segmental rack 15, mounted upon a pivotpin 16 and having a pin 17, which whenthe rack is released from its normal position (shown in Fig. 1) strikes against the adjacent stepped surface of the regulating-disk and limits the movement of the rack. The rack is normally pressed toward said disk by a spring 18 andis normally held outof engage ment with the regulating-disk by a moving pawl 19, which is pivoted to an arm 20, connected to the armature-shaft 5. Adjacent to the moving pawl is a holding-pawl 21', pivoted to the frame of the machine and adapted to cooperate with the moving pawl for the purpose of drawing the rack away-from the regulating-disk, the rack being moved backward one step at each stroke of the bell-hammer until the holding-pawl passes the last'tooth on the rack, when said pawl is engaged'by a cam-surface 22 and raised-onto a projection 23, extending above the rack-teeth.

One pole of the battery 24 is connected by a wire 25 to aninsulated binding-post 26, and the latter is connected by a wire 27 to an insulated stop 28. The opposite pole of the battery is connected by a wire 29 to the electromagnet 1 and from thence passes by a wire 30 to an insulated spring-arm 31, thence to ICO the frame 2 by way of a pivoted contact-piece 32. A release-lever 33, pivoted to the clockframe above the pawls 19 and 21, extends over the insulated stop 28 and is normailyheld out of engagement with said stop by the holding-pawl 21, upon which it rests, as shown in Fig. l. The circuit is therefore interrupted between said release-lever and the stop 28 as long as the partsare in the position shown in Fig. l. Secured to the arbor 90,which carries the minute hand of the clock, is a curved arm 34, which as the hands approach the hour engages a roller 35 upon the release-lever 33 and lifts said lever from the position shown in Fig. 1 into the position shown in Fig. 2. The pawls 19 and 21 are loosely connected by a strap 36, secured to the moving pawl and extending over the holding-pawl. Similarly the holding-pawl is looseiy connected to the release-lever by a strap 37, secured to said pawland extending over the release-lever.

When the release-lever, therefore, is raised by the curved arm 34 at the end of the hour, as shown in Fig. 2, the pawls are lifted from. the rack, and the latter is carried forward by the spring 18 until the stop 17 engages the adjacent stepped surface of the regulating-disk. The cam or arm 34 then passes from beneath the roller 35 and the release lever drops onto the stop 28, thus completing the circuit through the magnet 1. At the same time the pawls are lowered into engagement with the rack, as shown in Fig. 3. The rock-shaft 5 has an arm 3, which extends between the forked arms 38 and 39 of the pivoted circuitbreaker 32, and a spring 40, having an angular end which engages an angular portion 41 upon the contact-breaker, tends to hold the latter in either its open or its closed position.

The arm 3 serves as a tappet which engages and moves the contact-piece 32 just before the completion of the movement of the armature.

It will be seen from the foregoing that as the hands approach the hour the parts will move successively from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In the last-mentioned position the circuit is cornpleted through the electromagnet, and the latter causes the operation of the pawls and the bell-hammer, the circuit being automatically interrupted and completed at each stroke of the hell by the engagement. of the arm 3 with the contact-piece The rack is therefore drawn backward with a step-bystep movement until the holding-pawl rests upon the projection 23, when the release-lever 33 is raised by said pawl out of contact with the stop 28. The circuit is thus interrupted between said stop and release-lever and the parts remain out of action until the completion of the next hour, when the arm 34 will raise the release-lever, lifting the pawls out of engagement with the rack and then permitting said lever and pawls to drop, so as to complete the circuit and permit the rack to be drawn backward by the pawls during the operation of striking the hour.

The winding mechanism is operated by a pair of electromagnets 42, suitably supported between the side frames 2, and an armature 43, secured to a rock-shaft 44. An arm 45, attached to said shaft, is connected bya link 46 to a ratchet-lever 47, having thereon a pivoted pawl 48. A stud 49 is secured to the rear frame of the clock in line with the minute-haud arbor 90. Upon this stud is revolubly mounted a sleeve 50, havinga ratchetwheel 5t at its rear end. The ratchet-lever 47 has a hub 52, which is revolubly mounted upon the sleeve 50 and is held against longitudinal movement upon said sleeve by a suitable collar 53, the latter being secured to the sleeve. A holding-pawl 54, connected to the frame, engages the ratchet-wheel and prevents its backward rotation. When the armature 43 is attracted by the magnet, it will be seen that the ratchet-lever will be drawn forward, as indicated in dotted lines Fig. 7, thus causing the ratchet-wheel and sleeve 50 to turn upon the stud 49. When the magnet 42 is denergized, the ratchetlever is returned to its normal position. (shown in full lines in Fig. 7) by means of a spring 55, which is connected to an arm 56, projecting from the rock-shaft 44. The main or working spring 57 of the clock has its inner end secured to the sleeve 50, and its outer end is connected by an arm 58 to a gear 59, which is secured to the minute-hand arbor 90. The inner end of the arbor 90 has a bearing upon a pintle 60, projecting from the end of the stud 49. clock-gearing, the movement of which is controlled by an es'capement-wheel 61 and pallet 62. A commutator C is looselymounted upon the shaft orarbcr 90 and has a limited rotary movement thereon. This commutator, as shown, consists of a disk 63, of insulating material, integral with or secured to a long sleeve 64, also of insulating material. The sleeve 64 has a slot 65 at the end adjacent to the gear 59, and a pin 66 projects from said gear into said slot. The movement of the sleeve upon the arbor is therefore limited by the pin within the slot. Upon the sleeve 64 is a contact-ring 67, upon which rests a brush 68, said brush being connected by a wire 69, Fig. 11, to the coils of the magnet-bobbins 42 and thence by the wire 29 to one pole of the battery 24. The wire 29 is also connected by a wire 29 to a brush 70, which rests upon a ring '71, which is arranged upon the sleeve 64 at the side of the disk 63 opposite to the ring 67. The contact-ring 71 has teeth 72, and the brush 70, resting upon said ring, serves as a pawl to prevent the backward rotation of the commutator. The periphery of the disk 63 is formed with a series of cam-surfaces 73 73, 850., sloping in the same direction, and intermediate shoulders 74. Contact-fingers 75 extend from the The gear 59 operates a train of IIO ring 67 across the periphery of the disk immediately in front of the shoulders 74. In front of and close to said contact-fingers are arranged contact-fingers 76, leading from the toothed contact-ring 71. A contact-lever 77, secured to a pivoted shaft 78, rests upon the commutator and makes contact with the fingers on said commutator successively as the commutator rotates. This shaft 78 is insulated from the clock-frame and is connected to the battery by a spring contact-arm 80, projecting from the binding-post 26, which latter is connected by the wire 25 to the battery. A star-wheel 81 is also secured to the sleeve 64 and arranged in the path of the striker-arm 56, which is operated by the ar mature 43.

In operation as the commutator rotates the contact-lever 77 is moved upward by the camsurface 75, upon which it rests, and then drops suddenly from one of the shoulders 74 onto the adjacent contact-fingers 75. The current then passes from the battery through the wire 25, connecting-piece 80, shaft 78, and contact-lever 77 to the adjacent contactfingers 75 and from thence through the ring 67, brush 68, and wire 69 around the magnetcoils and thence to the battery by the wire 29. The magnet 42 being thus energized, the armature 43 is drawn downward, causing the mainspring 57 to be partly wound by the movement of the ratchet-lever 47. As the armature 43 moves downward the free end of the striker-arm 56 strikes one of the teeth upon the star-wheel 81 and gives a sudden movement to the commutator in the direction of its rotation, which movement is limited by the stop-pin 66. This movement, however, is sufficient to move the contact-fingers from beneath the end of the contact-lever 77, so that said lever will rest upon the insulating material of the disk until by'the continued rotation of the disk said lever drops onto the succeeding contact-finger 75, when the operation of winding and interrupting the circuit is again repeated. The brush 7 0, resting upon the toothed ring 71, prevents the commutator from rebounding after it has been moved by the striker-arm.

The contact-fingers 76 are provided for the purpose of short-circuiting the magnet while the circuit is being broken, thus preventing the destructive spark which normally results from the interruption of a magnet-coil. It will be seen that when the commutator is moved by the striker-arm the contact-lever 77 makes connection between the fingers 75 and the adjacent fingers 76 for an instant, during which time the magnet-coils are closed upon themselves through the commutatorif for any reason a good contact should not be made between the lever 77 and one or more sets of contact-fingers the clock would run on until the succeeding set of fingers made contact with the lever, and as several such contacts are made during each revolution there is no danger that the clock will not be wound.

Owing to the arrangement of the lever 45, link 46, and ratchet-lever 47 it will be noticed that the movement of the ratchet-lever becomes greater in proportion to the movement of the lever 45 as the armature 43 approaches the magnet. This is illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 7. This is a point of considerable importance, as the power of the magnet is utilized to best advantage by so arranging the devices that the work performed by the armature will increase as the armature approaches its more effective position.

Having described my invention, what I "claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an electric clock, the combination with a movable rack anda strike-controlling disk forming astop for the rack, of moving and holding pawls adapted to engage said rack and to move and normally hold it out of engagement with the disk, an electric circuit, a magnet in said circuit and an armature adjacent to the magnet arranged to operate the moving pawl, a sounding device operated by said armature, means for closing the circuit when the rack is in engagement with the disk, means operated by the armature for temporarily interrupting the circuit each time the armature is attracted by the magnet, and means for permanently-interrupting the circuit when the rack is returned to its normal position.

2. In an electric clock, the combination with a movable rack and a'strike-controlling disk forming a stop for the rack, of moving and holding pawls adapted to engage said rack and to move and hold it normally out of engagement with the disk, a normally open electric circuit, a magnet in said circuit, an armature adapted to operate the moving pawl, a release device arranged to move the pawls temporarily out of engagement with the rack and to close said circuit when the rack is released, means operated by the clock mechanism for moving said release device periodically, a sounding device operated by said armature, and means operated by said armature for temporarily interrupting the circuit each time the armature is attracted by the magnet.

3. In an electric clock, the combination with a movable rack and a strike-controlling disk forming a stop for the rack, of moving and holding pawls adapted to engage said rack and to move and normally hold it out of engagement with the disk, an electromagnet and an armature for operating said pawls, a sounding device operated by said armature,

IIO

&

an electric circuit for said magnet, a releaselever adapted to move said pawls out of engagement with the rack and to close said circuit when the rack is released, and means for moving said lever to interrupt the circuit when the rack is returned to its normal position.

4. In an electric clock, the combination with a movable rack and a strike-controlling disk forming a stop for the rack, of moving and holding pawls adapted to engage said rack and to move and normally hold it out of engagement with the disk, an electromagnet and an armature for operating said pawls, a sounding device operated by said armature, an electric circuit for said magnet, a releaselever loosely connected to the pawls and adapted to move said pawls out of engagement With the rack and to close said circuit when the rack is released, and a cam projection upon the rack adapted to move the holding-pawl against the release-lever and move the latter to cause the interruption of the circuit when the rack is returned to its normal position.

5. In an electric clock, the combination with a movable rack and a strike-controlling disk, forming a stop for the rack, of an electric circuit, a magnet in said circuit, an armature, a sounding device operated by said armature, pawls adapted to be operated by said armature and to move and normally hold said rack out of engagement with the disk, a release-lever adapted to move the pawls out of engagement with the rack and to close the circuit, a cam rotatable with the clock mechanism and adapted to move said release-lever and release the pawls and close the circuit periodically, and means for restoring said release-lever to its normal position after the sounding device has been operated.

6. In an electric clock, the combination with a movable rack and a strike-controlling disk forming a stop for the rack, of a pair of pawls for moving and holding said rack out of engagement with the disk, a sounding device, an electromagnet for operating said pawls and sounding device, a normally open electric circuit in which said magnet is included, a release-lever loosely connected to said pawls and adapted to open and close the circuit, and acam operated by the clock mechanism and adapted to engage and move said release-lever periodically.

7. In an electric clock, the combination with an electromagnet, an armature and a sounding device adapted to be operated thereby, of strike-controlling mechanism operatively connected with said armature, a circuit in which said magnet is included, devices operated by the armature for interrupting and closing said circuit each timethe armature is operated, and means for retarding the movement of the armature in one direction only to delay the closing of the circuit and for permitting the free movement of the armature in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY REMPE.

- Witnesses:

.R. E. PoUsT,

M. G. YOUNGMAN. 

